Sandy Causes Demand for Dune Grass as a Storm Defense ---The Cape May Plant Materials Center was recently featured on NJ Today. The story aired on January 16, 2013, as New Jersey was recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. The benefits of shoreline planting are highlighted. Watch the PBS video linked here for more on the mission and work underway at the Cape May Plant Materials Center.

Several of the documents provided below in PDF format are also available on the website above. These are some that have been especially useful for New Jersey communities. The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Salt-Affected Areas (52 kb) In the eastern United States, problems with salt concentrations in the soil are somewhat isolated. Some affected areas may include: roadsides where winter salt is supplied, runoff from DOT salt stockyards, around oil and gas wells,dredge disposal sites, irrigation with saline water, or areas subject to coastal flooding.

Plants Database - The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, plant links, references, crop information, and automated tools. PLANTS reduces costs by minimizing duplication and making information exchange possible across agencies and disciplines. Includes taxonomic and use information for conservation plants. You can search by the plant's common name, scientific name, or symbol.

The Cape May PMC is one of 27 Centers operated by NRCS throughout the United States. The National Plant Materials Program and the Plant Materials Centers provide conservation plant releases, publications and technical information, and tools used in plant materials work.

The 88th U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the Cape May Plant Materials Center after a Nor’easter, known as the ‘Storm of 1962,’ caused severe damage from Long Island to the Carolina coast. The Center’s mission was to develop plant products and technology to enhance shoreline stabilization in coastal areas vulnerable to damage from hurricanes and tropical storms. The Cape May facility provides conservation services for East coast which includes significant portions North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Beach Plum (Prunus maritima) is native shrub found inhabiting the back dune systems of the Southern New England and Middle Atlantic coast. Its white clustered flowers are bloom along the Jersey shore in early spring. Small plums are ripening now on stiff red stems. This fruit is prized by animals and humans alike and makes a great home landscaping plant.

'Cape' American Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) increases the protective value of sand dunes. The leafy native bunch grass spreads by rhizomes with average heights of 2 to 3 feet. Seed heads appear in late July through August.

The PMC selects and propagates plant cultivars called releases that are best-suited for the East coast, and tests them in field trials. Breeder or foundation material of these plants is made available to the public through commercial nurseries.

A list of plant and seed vendors is available for download here or from the PMC. Contents of Cape May Plant Material Center Plant Releases - Grower Source List are updated regularly. You'll want to check periodically for updated information. (To avoid viewing cached version of list, you may need to refresh your web browser by clicking on the refresh icon on your browser's toolbar.)